Eternal
by Tye22
Summary: A chance discovery in a gloomy crypt will send the Harbinger of the Companions spinning into a sequence of events that will determine the fate of everyone he cares about. Serana/OC friendship, potential romance. Other pairings in future chapters, will eventually have sexual themes (slash fem!slash included so be warned
1. Chapter 1

**Got the 'Legendary Edition' of Skyrim this week and it's just so flippen awesome! Serana is the best npc ever! (mostly because she doesn't die when 'friendly fire' occurs haha)**

**Anyway, decided to get this fic on paper, so to speak. **

**Let me know what you think of it so far :)**

* * *

The only sound to be heard was that of deep, ragged breathing and the steady dripping of the moisture on the cavern walls. Slowly, the breathing became steadier before finally returning to normal. The figure standing alone in the gloomy crypt straightened and slung the bow he had been clutching onto his back. Stepping over the bodies of those he had just felled with his arrows he made his way to the bound figure that lay just ahead.

The archer knelt next to the body, briefly checking for any signs of life. There were none. He sighed and turned his attention to the items that were scattered close to the corpse. He scraped the few coins together and shoved them into his pack, not wanting them to go to waste in this dank hole, and picked up the book. It was a field journal, most likely Adalvald's. Skimming the pages he found nothing of particular value so he placed it back on the ground. Standing, he turned away from the body and looked out towards the island structure that rose out of the underground lake.

He had been in various caves and crypts over the last couple of years and even though most looked vaguely similar, there was always something that made each one stand out from the rest. The arena like island that now stood before him was what made Dimhollow Cavern different. Archways towered over him as he stepped towards the center of the structure, his eyes fixed on the pedestal that rose from it. He circled it a few times, inspecting it closely before placing his hand on the pressure plate on top.

A deep rumble sounded from deep within the ground. The archer watched as various pillars rose up from key points in each concentric ring that radiated outward from the central pedestal. He suddenly cried out in shock and pain as a shard of metal shot up from the pedestal, piercing right through his palm. He cursed loudly and wrenched his hand away, stepping back slightly while fighting off a wave of nausea. He endured the pain for a few moments before finally getting his mind to focus again, allowing his Restorative magic to mend the worst of it. Looking at the pedestal again he was surprised to find a band of deep purple light snaking across the floor, stopping in front of one of the newly raised pillars.

It took the archer a while to figure out the puzzle of the pillars. He found that each pillar was 'mobile' so to speak and could move along a track that spanned across the concentric circles. He had to push and pull them a couple of times before they created a complete path for the odd purple light to follow. When the final pillar rumbled into place there came a loud booming sound followed by a bright flash of light created by the snaking purple line. The archer closed his eyes, momentarily blinded. As his vision slowly recovered he could hear more scraping and rumbling coming from the center of the structure.

With his vision returned he saw that the concentric circles had lowered into the ground, creating a series of steps leading down to the central pedestal, which was now a lot higher due to the floor around it being lower. Slowly he approached the pedestal again, being cautious this time. Reaching out he placed his hand on the cold surface. All was silent for a moment before the front half of the pillar suddenly shot down into the ground, revealing the figure of a woman at its hollow center. The archer was so surprised that he almost let her fall to the floor when she started leaning forward. He gathered himself just in time to catch her. She groaned, her voice straining from disuse. When he was sure she would be able to stand up on her own he stepped back.

"Are you ok, miss?" the archer asked her, trying not to sound as perplexed as he felt.

"I- um, just give me… just give me a minute." She replied, her voice cracking with the effort of speaking.

As the archer waited for her to compose herself, his eyes drifted to the object strapped to her back. His gasped as he recognized it.

"That's an Elder Scroll, isn't it?" he asked, motioning towards it.

"Yes, yes it is. And it's mine." She said, a hint of warning in her voice.

"Hey, I'm just asking." The archer said, raising his hands in mock surrender. The woman didn't react.

After a few more moments of silence he spoke up again. He asked her a few questions like who she was, why did she have that scroll and what she was doing in this crypt but she barely answered any of his questions. After a while he got fed up with her silence

"Ok, what in Oblivion is going on here?" he asked loudly, startling the woman. "First I get pulled off the road by a random fellow who begs me to make haste to help some kind of sun cult that's bent on ridding the world of who know what. The moment I walk into the place I get pulled into their plans and end up in this Divines forsaken place where I'm hounded by the undead for what feels like days, only to run into a woman who's being difficult. Give me a break here!"

The woman, who had initially been quite taken aback by his outburst, did the strangest thing then. She burst out laughing. It was so unexpected that the archer completely forgot about his frustration and smiled.

"Sorry about that, it's just been a tough week." He said sheepishly, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck.

"It's quite alright. I'm sorry as well. It's just that… I don't know you at all so it's a bit difficult to trust you just like that, you know?"

The archer sighed loudly.

"Of course, I'm such an idiot. Here I am going on about my shit week when you've been trapped underground for um… How long have you been here exactly?"

The woman scanned the cavern for a moment.

"I have no idea… Must have been quite some time judging by the state of this place."

"That long huh? You must be quite old then…"

"I was 'old' long before I was put in this crypt."

At the raised eyebrow she received she frowned.

"You do know what I am, right?"

"Um, a woman?"

"Oh thank Oblivion, I thought no one would notice." She said in a sarcastic tone.

The archer smiled.

"Of course I know what you are. The Dawnguard wouldn't have sent me here otherwise."

The woman froze.

"You're with 'them'?"

"Sort of. My organization was asked to assist them in their return to Skyrim after they learned of rising daedric activity in the region."

"Your organization?"

"I'm Valen, Harbinger of the Companions."

"The Companions? You're a Werewolf then?" the woman asked.

The archer shook his head.

"I was one briefly, but I didn't like the smell of wet dog each time I took a bath so…"

The woman smiled briefly at his attempted humor.

"So what are you going to do now? Take me to the Guard? Or maybe hand me over to your pack of wolves?"

Valen shrugged.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

The woman looked surprised.

"You're giving me a choice?"

"Why not? And even if I had intended to take you prisoner, I don't think I would have gotten very far going up against a starved, Elder Scroll wielding Vampiress."

The woman smiled again.

"I'm Serana by the way. I should have introduced myself earlier I guess." She said, a subtle blush showing on her ghostly white face.

Valen smiled at her.

"So then, Serana. What's your plan of action?"

"Could we go outside? I'd like to breath in some fresh air again."

"Of course. Wasn't planning on staying in this dump for too long anyway."

* * *

After another few hours spent navigating the tunnels and halls of Dimhollow, fighting skeletal mages and undead warriors, the pair finally emerged into the fading sunlight of late afternoon. Serana rushed forward and breathed in deeply.

"Finally!" she exclaimed.

Valen smiled at her outburst. As they had been making their way through the crypt he had come to realize that she must have been trapped for many hundreds of years, judging by her reactions to certain parts of their conversations. She didn't know about things that have been there for many years, like the Empire and the Dominion. He suspected that she might even predate the Dwemer disappearance as well

"Where we headed to then?" he asked as he stepped up to stand beside her.

"Where in Skyrim are we exactly? All I can see is snow, which covers most of the province."

"Think we're in the Pale, not too far from Dawnstar."

She smiled sheepishly.

"Um, I don't recognize those names, sorry."

Valen laughed.

"Ok then. Why don't I take you on a bit of a tour of the countryside? Just so you can get your bearings."

"That sounds wonderful. But…"

"But?"

She motioned towards the scroll strapped to her back.

"I don't think it would be wise to trek across the province with this thing."

Valen nodded.

"No, that wouldn't be the best idea." He said before growing silent as he thought.

"We could go to Whiterun. My people will keep it safe. Then we can get in some sight seeing."

"You're sure they'll be ok with 'me'?" she asked.

"They're surprisingly laidback people once you get to know them and in any case, I'm the boss so they have to go along with it." He said with a grin.

"Werewolves and vampires don't mix Valen." She said, still not convinced.

"I'll get them to understand, ok? The Companions are like a big family. We all trust each other completely. And if I trust you, they have no reason not to trust you as well."

"But do you trust me?" she asked, a slightly serious tone in her voice.

Valen watched her for a moment.

"I don't know why, but since the moment I saw your face I just knew I could put my trust in you. My instincts are generally always in the right and they were confirmed when you backed me up while we fought our way out of that crypt."

Serana smiled.

"I had a similar feeling."

"So it's settled then. The Companion Headquarters it is." Valen said and started trudging through the snow in the direction of the main road that stretched off in the distance. He pulled a hood over his head to keep the wind from whipping his hair into his face. He noticed Serana doing the same.

They walked in silence, each lost in their private thoughts.

"Although, now that I think about it," Valen said, stopping in his tracks, "Vilkas might take some convincing…" he added after a moment with a slight frown.

"Who's Vilkas?" Serana asked, stopping beside him.

"He's my m- He's my second-in-command." Valen said

Serana lifted her eyebrow at his momentary hesitation, wondering what it was that Valen was about to have said before changing his mind. She made a mental note of it.

"But I have ways in dealing with him, so don't worry."

"Well then, if you think it's best. Lets get going. I'm no fan of this blizzard."

Valen chuckled before setting out again.

"You came to the wrong country then."

* * *

**There you have it :)**

**It's not going to take the direction you're thinking though, there will be a bunch of twists in the very near future ;)**

**Any questions? Feel free to review or PM me **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so someone actually liked it, awesome. Here is a rather long (not really, but I like to lie to myself) update revealing a bit more about Valen's backstory. It's a bit sappy but I had fun writing it. Forgive any grammar/spelling errors please, I did write this in the early hours so I was kinda half asleep.**

* * *

After the second day of travel the weather finally let up a bit. It was still freezing of course, but at least the blizzard had cleared. Valen strode along the trail at a measured pace, having learnt early on that it did no one any good to rush about from place to place. All that got you was a tired body riddled with aches and pains. Serana seemed to glide alongside him like some sort of phantom, her boots scarcely making any sound. He saw that she still had her hood up, even though the wind had long since calmed. He did not comment on it though, having already assumed that it had to do with her vampiric nature.

She was an anomaly in his life. He had set out earlier that week to assist the Dawnguard in their purge of her kind, although he had not been as reluctant about it as he had made it out to her. He had a strong bitterness and hatred inside when it came to vampires. This is was not your typical resentment for their kind that most men had. His hatred stemmed from deep within his past. He shuddered as brief glimpses into those memories drifted up from the shadowy corners his mind. He swiftly pushed them away, not wanting to dwell on them for too long. As he did this he glanced over at the woman beside him. What was it about her that was so different? She looked over at him, having sensed his gaze.

"What? Having second thoughts about traveling with me?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

He smiled briefly and looked at the ground.

"No, not at all. Was just lost in a few distant memories is all."

"Do tell."

Valen glanced over at her.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

She fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Tell me about something else then." She said in a way that made Valen think of an inquisitive child.

"Such as?" he asked, smiling.

"Where are you from? We never really got the chance to speak during the blizzard so I still don't really who you are."

"I grew up in Whiterun. Orphaned from birth, so I didn't know my birth parents. Bandits, apparently, killed da and ma died during childbirth." He paused for a moment before continuing,"There was a small orphanage in Whiterun back then, run by a kindly old couple. It closed down when they died." Valen said, slightly surprised at himself for elaborating so much. All he could have said was 'Whiterun'.

"What did you do then?"

"Oh by that time I was living on my own already, apprenticed to Farangar, the Court Wizard."

"You're a mage?" Serana asked slightly surprised.

"I guess, but I prefer using my bow to get the job done."

They walked on in silence for a while before Serana spoke out again.

"Were there many of you in the orphanage?"

"Not really. About 6 of us lived there. There was Iona, Krom,Aela,Farkas, Vilkas and me."

"Oh so this is where you met this Vilkas of yours? You grew up together?"

"Not really. They were only there for about a year and a half when I was around six years old."

"They?"

"Oh, Farkas and Vilkas are twins and Aela is in a sense their sister I guess." Valen explained.

"I see. Where they adopted?"

"No, they just went back to the Companions. They were born into the organization you see, so that's where they grew up. They were just placed into the care of the orphanage for a time when the Companions were called away on some sort of mission."

"So…"

"So?"

"When did you fall in love with him then?" She asked.

Valen stopped in his tracks, briefly taken aback.

"Oh come on Valen. Your eyes glaze over every time you say his name. Not to mention the way in which you say it." Serana said, gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

"Is it really that obvious?" he asked sheepishly.

Serana nodded.

Valen sighed.

"I'll have to work on that I suppose." He said with a small chuckle before stepping forward again.

"So tell me."

Valen smirked at her.

"I didn't know Vampires were so curious on matters of the heart."

"Just tell me." She persisted.

"Fine. What did you want to know?"

"When did it happen?"

Valen fell silent as he mulled it over in his head.

"Well I guess we were friends while they stayed at the orphanage. The other kids in the town steered clear of us orphans for some reason, so we only had those around us when it came to friendship, but it was nothing special at that stage."

He paused again, thinking.

"About 2 years after they left the orphanage," he continued, "it became clear that I was a bit different from the other kids. My affinity for magic had begun to surface. And as a result everyone now avoided me, even the other orphans. Nords don't care much for magic wielders."

"It's been like that for a while, trust me." Serana whispered.

Valen glanced over at her for a moment, noting that she obviously had her own story to tell, when she was ready of course. He would not be as prying as she was being.

"What happened then?" Serana asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"Well, after a while, when they realized I could not actually use my abilities against them, the initial avoidance turned into mocking and bullying. On one particular day I was sitting underneath the Gildergreen, that's a tree growing outside the local temple, scribbling in the dirt with a stick. A buch of kids walked up and started taunting me. Krom and Iona were with them, having seized the opportunity to be part of the group. I could see hints of regret in their eyes though, but I guess it didn't really make a difference in the end. Anyway, the leader of the group reached down and took the stick from me. He laughed menacingly as he scratched out the drawings I had made. I was not too phased by this though and thus didn't react it the way he was hoping I would."

"What do you mean?"

"He wanted me to have an outburst. To use magic in some way so that I would get into trouble. Instead I did nothing so he decided to take it a step further. He raised the stick up high, making as if to strike me with it. There was a loud crack as the stick hit flesh, shattering into a cloud of splinters. It had not struck me however. I'm not sure where he came from, it had happened so fast, but there stood Vilkas. The boy with the stick had stumbled backwards in shock, fear quite evident on his face. He had not intended to strike one of the ignored him and turned to me and asked if I was ok. He then turned to glare at the group of kids. That one look sent them all packing." Valen said, grinning at that last part.

"How heroic." Serana said, her voice playfully sarcastic.

Valen shoved her slightly of the path, making her laugh.

"Ok ok, I'm serious though. He came to your rescue. It's sweet."

Valen chuckled.

"It was, I guess, but never say it in front of him though. He'll throw a tantrum and deny everything."

"Noted. Now continue."

"Well from then on we saw more of each other. He would always be on the lookout, though he never made it seem obvious. Wherever I went he would not be too far behind. Eventually he asked me if I wanted to come to Jorvaskarr and watch the adult Companions spar. It was quite the spectacle. It was also then when I was introduced to archery, thanks to Aela. I think Vilkas was a bit disappointed that I had taken to archery and not melee weapons, seeing as this meant that I spent more time with Aela than with him. Jealousy is quite a big thing with him. Anyway, we all grew very close in the years that followed up until I turned 15. My magic was growing more and more difficult to control without training so Kodlak, the Harbinger before me, went and spoke to the Jarl on my behalf and organized my apprenticeship with Farangar. He always looked out for me even though I only really knew him from afar." Valen said, his face taking on a serious expression as he spoke of the old man.

Serana picked up on his sudden change in emotion and waited till he was ready to speak again.

"So while I was being taught by the wizard, Vilkas, his brother and Aela were inducted into the Companions as official members, being of the appropriate age of 17. They grew distant after that, always busy with guild matters. Months later Vilkas showed up at my cottage unexpectedly, telling me they were leaving Whiterun for a while and that he didn't want to go without saying goodbye. I thought this a bit odd at the time, seeing as we didn't really speak anymore anyway, but I dismissed it and wished him well. Two years passed before I saw him again. I don't think anyone had realized that they would be gone for quite that long. He looked quite different when he walked up to my door that day." Valen smiled at the memory.

"You can't stop there!" Serana exclaimed.

"Divines! You're such a teenager."

"I've been locked up for centuries, Valen! I need some sensation!"

Valen shook his head and laughed.

"I guess it has been quite a boring few years for you. Where was I?"

"Vilkas returning."

"Oh, right. Well he had certainly grown into his figure during his time away. Gone was the awkward, long limbed teenager, replaced by a tall, muscled warrior. His eyes were dark with war paint and his jaw was dark with stubble. A broadsword was strapped to his back. He appeared much more intense and almost primal as he loomed over me in the doorway. I was so surprised that I couldn't speak. He simply gave me a small smile, a rare thing for Vilkas to do, and said that he was back in town and had wanted to say hello. We spoke for a few minutes before I said that I had to get going. He awkwardly said goodbye and then strode off towards Jorvaskarr, glancing back every few moments. You'll think me stupid but I still didn't recognize that he felt something for me. I only saw it as friendly behavior."

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Not at all. I was quite stupid back then… Anyway, just before dusk on that same day, everything changed."

"Changed how?"

"I'm getting there! Now, just as the sun set the screaming started. At first it was very faint and I paid it no real attention. Soon however it sounded like half the town was crying out in panic. I stepped outside my house to see the va-" Valen began but stopped before finishing the word. "-To see the hooded figures moving up the street, striking down civilians and soldiers alike. There was no time to run back inside to grab my bow so I struck out with my magic, sending one of the attackers flying. This was the wrong thing to have done I would later learn because magic users were exactly what the hooded figures were after and I had just identified myself as such." Valen said, obvious distress in his face as he spoke.

Serana wanted to ask him to stop, noticing his discomfort, but he carried on even after she tried.

"In a flash they surrounded me. I put up a good fight but in the end there was too many of them. One of them struck out with a blunt object and hit me over the head. My vision began to blur as a struggled to stand and continue to fight. Another strike and everything went black. I can vaguely remember being carried away by one of the attackers and the sound of someone calling my name."

"Valen, I can see this is hard for you to recall. You don't have to carry on."

Valen smiled, though the smile never reached his eyes.

"I might as well finish the story. It's almost done anyway."

"Ok then." Serana said softly. "What happened then?"

"Well, everything after that is just a mess. I remember feeling intense pain as they tortured me. Other than that I don't recall much." Valen paused before continuing, "After what felt like years but had actually been little more than two weeks, I remember hearing the sound of screaming again. I could also hear a terrifying growling and snarling, like some great beast was coming closer and closer. I was almost too drained to realy feel any fear. And then suddenly it stopped and out of the silence stepped a bloodied Vilkas. His armor was shredded and his sword was nowhere to be seen. As he saw me hanging from wall in nothing but rags, my body covered in cuts and bruises his expression changed from rage to a worried panic. I can still picture that face to this day. Next thing I knew he had ripped away the ropes that bound me and was holding me in his arms. I looked up into his face and almost drowned in those icy blue eyes. That's when he kissed me. It was a desperate, passionate kiss, salty with the taste of blood and tears. He held me close for a while, content with just having me there in his embrace and then he turned and carried me all the way back to Whiterun. Soon after I joined the Companions."

"And you and Vilkas?"

"We were joined in the eyes of Mara about 3 years after that. By then I was already Harbinger and he was my second."

Serana was silent for a while.

"Thank you for telling me your story. I'm sorry if it opened up a few wounds."

Valen sighed before smiling at her.

"It's not that bad, I also got to recall some of the happy times."

Serana smiled. She suspected that he had left out quite a large part of the tale but she had heard enough for now. She hoped that one day he would trust her enough to tell her everything. Then she would tell him her own tale.

"We should make camp soon." Valen remarked.

"How long till we reach Whiterun?"

"Should be there by tomorrow evening, if the weather holds up."

"Lets hope it does then, so you can get back to your Wolf as soon as possible."

Valen said nothing, though the smile on his face and the blush on his neck spoke for him.

* * *

**Those parts he left out will be elaborated on later in the fic but from Vilkas's pov. (That is of course if I get some reviews for this chapter *nudge nudge*)**

**Hope you enjoyed the update and stay tuned for more ;) **


End file.
